Middleton and Theberton not connected to full fibre

In October 2023, the developers of the new nuclear power station agreed a deal with telecoms firm Openreach to provide "ultra-fast, ultra-reliable" full fibre broadband to 5,000 homes in and around the Leiston area.

But Middleton parish councillor Charles Macdowell said the villages of Middleton and Theberton, five miles from Sizewell C, had been omitted from the project, while broadband had been provided to homes up to ten miles away.

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He said: “Our residents are insulted to be honest.

“Both we and Theberton only re-raised this as an issue at a formal forum meeting with Sizewell C on July 2.

"It seems to show that they have a ‘tin ear’ when dealing with the problems in local communities.

“Broadband provision is very much an issue in our villages, with people wanting to work from home and enjoy TV streaming services.

Middleton parish councillor Charles Macdowell said villagers felt insulted by being omitted from Sizewell C broadband scheme (Image: Submitted) "When Sizewell C announced their deal with Openreach back in 2023, we were full of hope that this would bring one benefit to compensate for the coming destruction, noise and congestion.

"Yet it seems now it was an empty promise, with Sizewell C ducking responsibility and blaming Openreach.”

Mr Macdowell said some households in the villages had broadband speeds well under 10 megabytes per second (Mb/S), while the national average is 223 Mb/S.

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However, an Openreach spokesperson said Middleton and Theberton were yet to be connected to full fibre broadband and encouraged residents to continue to check the openreach.com website, where build plans are regularly updated.

A Sizewell C spokesperson said: “Our partnership with Openreach means that 5,000 local homes can now access ultra-reliable full fibre broadband.

"While we’re not responsible for installing the communications technology, we have worked hard to improve connectivity for as many local communities as possible.

"In addition to this project with Openreach we recently funded the extension of a scheme offering free wi-fi in Leiston town centre.”